


i will follow

by Sharkchimedes



Category: The Legend of Prince Valiant (Cartoon)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, post episode: the color of honor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 09:16:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21353878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharkchimedes/pseuds/Sharkchimedes
Summary: Returned from the coastal village to Camelot, Bryant feels a little shaken and it seems Gawain is still upset about the whole affair. But what is he really on about?
Relationships: Gawain (Prince Valiant)/Bryant (Prince Valiant)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	i will follow

**Author's Note:**

> back at it again ! this an ep that has always made me feel a Lot of things but on my most recent rewatch i was mostly focused on how absolutely willing gawain seems to be to get himself into trouble too because he is so upset that bryant is being questioned... so i wrote that into a ficlet.

Gawain was still upset. 

Bryant knew this because the other knight was pacing, back and forth, in a five foot path from the bed to the nearest wall and back. He’d been at it for at least ten minutes now.

When he’d first started, he’d gone along discarding bits of his clothes, leaving his cloak and tunic in a messy pile on the floor, but he’d stopped at the chainmail and was now just grumbling.

Bryant had carefully put his own regalia away, watching Gawain from the corner of his eye in case the other man did something with his tense energy and punched the wall.

Well, it was better to invoke brains before brawn. Or before Merlin had to be called.

“You were awfully fast to argue not only with the villagers, but with Valiant as well.” Bryant said carefully, and watched as Gawain came to a halt, still tensing and untensing the muscles in his arms as he stood and listened. “I thought you might hit him, honestly.”

Other knights ribbed Gawain for being impulsive at times, which perhaps he could be. But the core of it was that Gawain tended to think in terms of what he _ felt _ before he considered more than one side. When he was threatened, personally, he could get unpredictable. Threaten someone he cared about, well….

(Often, Bryant had felt that Gawain’s crest would’ve been better suited as something that wasn’t an eagle. It didn’t seem to capture the edge, the protective fire that led him to chase the squires and younger knights out of danger and snap at anything who threatened their King. But then, maybe it did- a falconer’s bird did always return to the arm once it had flown.)

He had no doubt that if the other man had thought punching Valiant’s lights out would have sorted the matter, he would have done it. It was terrifying, the knowledge that in the grand scheme of things, Gawain was willing to sacrifice things that were important to him for things that were _ more _ important. As much as his fellow knight cared for their former trainee, he also knew that Valiant (and Arn and Rowanne) only played fourth fiddle in the grand scheme of Gawain’s thinking.

The only things before that were the King and Queen, and-

Gawain grabbed his hands, squeezing them like he was trying to _ force _ Bryant to understand what he was thinking through sheer force of will. It stopped his train of thought cold, as he found himself looking into the auburn mop of Gawain’s hair as the other knight considered their joined hands. “I would have.”

“Gawain-” Bryant felt a distinct flare of alarm at that. “You coul-”

“I _ would._” Gawain squeezed again, harder and met his eyes with a determined stare. “

“You would’ve been _ arrested._ Gawain, do you know what they would have _ done _ to you if they thought-” The alarm turns to a faint sense of panic then. There were any _ number _ of things that they might have assumed: that he was a conspirator, or that Bryant had _ done _ something to him, or-

Gawain lightly tugged on his arms. "And we would have been arrested together. The boy would have figured something out." When he saw Bryant about to protest, he went on, "And had he not I would have gone with you. And had your _ relative_ thrown me to sea than I would have simply swam after, given him a piece of my mind!"

Bryant knew Gawain was fishing for ribbing, trying to pull the conversation away from the dark possibilities and what-ifs, and the fondness bubbled and welled up and swallowed the fear and he couldn’t help but smile. “I know.”

The other knight immediately seemed to forget whatever insistence he had planned next when Bryant relaxed and changed to flustering, changing his grip on Bryant’s hands several times before he finally gave up a defense and leaned in and kissed him. 

After a gentle moment, Gawain pulled back, hazel eyes softener now, and said, "Bryant, you and I may never find Heaven, but I will walk through Hell with you. I'll _ crawl_, if necessary."

And Bryant knows that he would. Gawain has already done that with him, when the “dragons” came. 

He knows he would do the same in return. 

“Now, let’s get some fun in before Valiant comes to ruin the evening with his notes.” Gawain grinned. 

“You’re a menace.” 


End file.
